To tell people we're still renting when we bought outright.

OP thats because the question aboit if its rented /bought is the precursor to any discussion about decorating or reno... No point discussing redecorating if its a rental?

Tbh i think its quite odd that your instinct was to lie about something so simple/ normal - do you struggle a bit with paranoia around typical social interactions and lie quite a lot? I dont think your response was normal to be honest. Who cares if people are being a bit nosy/curious about whether you have bought? Its human nature. What exactly do you think they they are going to do with that info, use ut against you somehow??

You mentioned your friends having bigger houses and being surprised about you renting a flat given your careers, so could that have something to do with it? It’s a common trap to compare ourselves to our friends, and it sounds like you are happy with your home but conscious of the differences in your homes. So when others ask it may trigger that feeling.

Although I understand why the question itself may annoy you OP, I fail to see how lying in response makes things any better? Just say you own it. You are not the first person to have bought a house, it's thoroughly unimportant in the bigger scheme of things.

Im too tight to pay for the registry but love that you look.

I do that - I always look at what someone paid for their new house 🤣🤣 sometimes I pay £7 to the land registry to find out who owns houses too 🫣🫣

I agree with @Wingwalk . I don’t think it’s rude. It’s just chit chat and buying a house is a milestone.

I have reached the rather unfortunate time in my life where I assume everyone owns there house because the vast majority of my friends and colleagues do. So it’s easy to slip into house conversation about owning e.g,, are you going to do the kitchen? Isn’t stamp duty a nightmare etc. And then they say “well we only rent it so…”. Doesn’t happen often mind you!

Im really nosey so alwsys check nethouseprices.com to see how much was paid!
Saying that most of my friends and family own rather than rent up here (northern towns)

It’s none of these random people’s business but it sounds like you have a bit of a complex around this. They are probably being nosy rather than looking down at you and I don’t think it’s an intrusive question (asking how much you are paying would be though).

Really? I'm in the UK, and I would say that is NOT a topic for general conversation, other people's finances, including their housing status, is nobody's business but their own. I think such a question is very rude and intrusive.

Why don't you just say you were renting it but when the landlord needed to sell and offered it to you that it was the easier option to buy it as you didn't want to face the hassle of moving again.

Some times well meaning friends don't realise how frustrating their questions can be.

I’ve never asked/ been asked if the home is bought OUTRIGHT but plenty of times whether I’m/they’re renting or if it’s owned.

I wouldn’t include the outright bit, as that may lead to further questions but I would say you’ve bought it.

Well done you for being able to buy your own home, it’s a great achievement that most people will never have and something I wouldn’t be ashamed about telling people about (not in a bragging way).

I say don’t overthink it. People ask because it’s a natural follow up question. I think it gets your back up as you’re afraid of judgment, but genuinely I think it’s a pretty standard reply to saying you’ve moved

You don’t have to say you have no mortgage - that could sound braggy*. But no harm in saying you’ve bought

*edited to add: no one needs to know about your financial position, it’s none of their business. If someone asked if you had a mortgage, that IMO is a non standard response and intrusive

I actually sort of get you OP, as people do look down on renters. We rented for years as we had lived overseas and just couldn't afford to buy. We rented for a few more years than necessary as we didn't want to get on the 'ladder' of working up to a big family home from a starter home, pay multiple moving fees, conveyancing fees etc so we waited until we could afford the detached house as our first buy.
SO many people asked how on earth we could afford to do that as we were 'only' renters, told us how much money we'd wasted renting for years etc
So I get it, you probably are overthinking but I know I was extremely defensive of my housing situation after so many people looked down on us renting.

To me it seems like you over thinking it all but I only say this as in my circle we do talk about these things openly. No one is better or worse than anyone else for renting or buying.

Are you feeling the way you do because you yourself think renting is inferior to buying a property?

Why would they congratulate you for renting a house? It’s not an achievement. You were renting previously so maybe they are asking if you’re renting or buying and then maybe if you said buying they’d congratulate you and ask about decorating etc.
YABU about it, just say we own it, I’ve never known anyone to go on to ask what your mortgage payments are or if you own outright

The mind boggles at the questions people ask these days. Your financial affairs are literally none of their business and they are showing themselves up by asking. My response is usually’I don’t need to answer that’ and rapidly change the subject.

Housing is a national preoccupation. We are extremely interested in where other people live, how much it costs them, how much their property is worth. Its what comes from seeing housing status as a measure of success, while being in the midst of a crisis that means its harder to achieve. People want other peoples details because they are a yardstick to hopefully reassure, so questions like these have entered polite conversation.
However you answer its likely to lead to supplementary questions because people want details and discussion. So unless you are going to say MYOB which you're entitled to, the truth is probably best so you don't trip yourself up.

I can understand people asking if you're renting if you were renting previously and seemed happy where you were. They might wonder why you moved, or whether you have decided now is the time to buy. There is absolutely no reason to tell them you are mortgage free. Everyone will assume you have a mortgage.

One of the few times I have had to tell anyone I bought my house outright was when I started getting lots of unwanted 'advice' on how to pay my mortgage as a pensioner (I got a very fortunate inheritance which enabled me to buy outright as I turned 60, and I took retirement at 65). The assumption was that I was going to struggle financially to cover my costs and I had to shoot down the worrier by telling them I owned outright. Nobody else knows or cares.

A neighbour asked me if I had bought my house or was renting it. I also found that very wierd as I don’t really know them. I said bought (didn’t mention I was also mortgage free), but I started getting paranoid that the garden was getting too scruffy so he assumed I was renting. I just find gardening difficult now so have hired a professional but I thought it was such an oddly personal question to ask.

Also as you now own a house you will want to do things to it that you couldn’t do when you were renting so people will raise eyebrows if you have told them you are renting and then start ripping out the bathroom or landscaping the garden.

People are asking because if you have bought they want to celebrate with you. Just say you bought it, no need to say you are mortgage free.

That's a really odd reaction to completely normal small talk. Wanting to snub them? Very strange.

As someone who also rented for a long time as an adult before buying (due to work being very transient for many years) and also lived in a flat as a family I get both sides of this. Middle class professionals find it a little curious and might seem surprised when they find out you don’t live in a 3/4 bed ‘family home’.

But moving house, especially when buying is a big life change (even when you’ve moved many times) and the fact you didn’t tell them about the move before it happened, will lead to conversations and curiosity that you didn’t mentioned it before - it’s not normally a quick process! Buying and selling is the sort of thing people often chat about - not the financial details and it would be incredible unusual for someone to even ask if you are mortgage free - they will just assume not - it’s just something to chat about and everyone can compare horror stories about the process and awkward buyers/sellers etc.

I wouldn’t read more into it and lying to me seems like a reaction to you feeling uncomfortable about other people’s perceptions - which I do totally understand.

if I were you at some point when it comes up naturally I would let slip that you had the chance to buy cos your landlord was selling and the place is now yours. No one will ask about your mortgage - they might look up what you paid for it which will be freely available a few months after purchase date but very few will care enough to pay to find more details than that even if as others say such things are possible.

“What a strange question to ask someone. I don’t think I’m comfortable answering that.” Then change the subject.

No need to over-share that you’re mortgage free—with ANYONE.

You can always say that you bought it, or that you were renting, but the owner decided to sell, so you bought it (happens a lot—my sister bought her rented house from the owner). If you’re worried about nosiness, there’s not much you can do. Around 6 months or so after the purchase goes through, the date of sale and price of sale go publicly online. People who know you will know that the date was not long after you moved in.

I’d just say you bought it and leave it at that. You don’t need to say mortgaged or otherwise. Most people will assume you have a mortgage; let them get on with it.